Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Ankang

For one person, living is cheaper in Ankang: $725 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Ankang
Learn more

Ankang Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Ankang

🇨🇳 China

$725

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Ankang

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Budapest and in Ankang actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $725 in Ankang, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Ankang $725

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,132 in Ankang, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Ankang $1,132

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,540 in Ankang, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Ankang $1,540

Budapest costs about 123% more than Ankang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Ankang is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,525

$1.47 ¥9.81

848.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.9K

$14.99 ¥100

308.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,307

$2.91 ¥19.47

250.17%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,060

$2.15 ¥14.40

51.63%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 Ft 694

$0.43 ¥2.90

397.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 579

$0.27 ¥1.79

559.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,204

$1.50 ¥10.03

147.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,223

$1.48 ¥9.87

154.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 372

$1.47 ¥9.85

-21.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 580

$1.70 ¥11.37

5.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 808

$0.90 ¥5.99

176.67%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,267

$1.49 ¥9.98

161.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,605

$11.41 ¥76.3

-2.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,149

$4.12 ¥27.53

60.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,769

$10.36 ¥69.3

41.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 594

$1.70 ¥11.35

7.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 664

$1.15 ¥7.67

78.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 769

$1.24 ¥8.32

91.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,266

$1.26 ¥8.44

209.52%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 322

$0.68 ¥4.52

45.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 323

$0.69 ¥4.61

44.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 514

$0.58 ¥3.85

172.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 217

$0.55 ¥3.68

21.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,585

$3.31 ¥22.16

140.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,019

$9.89 ¥66.2

-37.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 413

$0.78 ¥5.19

62.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 658

$1.68 ¥11.23

20.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 492

$0.32 ¥2.12

375.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,098

$17.21 ¥115

62.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,075

$1.25 ¥8.35

164.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 444

$0.29 ¥1.93

372.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,438

$4.36 ¥29.17

354.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 591

$1.36 ¥9.08

33.82%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$29.8K Ft 9.7M

$19.3K ¥129.4K

54.03%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$33.8K Ft 11.0M

$17.5K ¥117.0K

93.23%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$171 Ft 55.6K

$89.3 ¥597

91.54%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$23.51 Ft 7,634

$3.26 ¥21.79

621.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,563

$10.61 ¥71.0

119.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.9K

$44.85 ¥300

50.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,135

$13.11 ¥87.7

44.09%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,019

$5.68 ¥38.00

63.73%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$533 Ft 173.2K

$679 ¥4,541

-21.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$17.2K ¥115.3K

-2.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.3K

$39.44 ¥264

152.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.1K

$37.19 ¥249

16.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.8K

$74.4 ¥498

48.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$92.4 ¥618

28.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 269.6K

$299 ¥2,003

177.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 201.9K

$182 ¥1,220

240.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 517.4K

$616 ¥4,118

158.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 380.0K

$386 ¥2,583

203.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$3,279 ¥21.9K

77.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$2,225 ¥14.9K

74.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 536.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

3.35

92.54%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Ankang: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Ankang

$182 25.2% 70.7% $439

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Ankang

$193 26.6% 25.1% $65

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Ankang

$60 8.2% 73.3% $163

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Ankang

$103 14.2% 52.6% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Ankang

$110 15.1% 34.6% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Ankang

$56 7.8% 34.7% $30

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Ankang

$21 2.9% 52.1% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $299 in Ankang. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $15.00 in Ankang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $193 – making Ankang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇨🇳 Ankang

🕒 Local time

07:03 7:03 AM

13:03 1:03 PM

6 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

894,853

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 364 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Ankang 7,400 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Budapest vs Ankang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 123%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,088 in Ankang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ankang, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 63% less in Ankang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $679 in Ankang. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ankang, where all-in costs run around $725, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Ankang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ankang – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Ankang. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.